Keithley Launches New General Purpose Programmable Power Supply Product Line

10/10/2011

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems, announced the availability of five new general-purpose programmable DC power supplies designed to complement the company’s existing line of specialty power supplies and source measurement instruments for component, module, and device characterization and test applications. The Series 2200 family combines superior voltage and current output accuracy at a cost-effective price, flexible operation, and features designed to enhance ease of use in a variety of device characterization or test applications. More information on the Series 2200 is available on Keithley’s website: www.keithley.com/data?asset=55901.

The five models in the Series 2200 line offer maximum voltage, current, and power output levels designed to address a wide range of sourcing requirements for characterizing components, circuits, modules, and complete devices:

Model 2200-20-5: 20V, 5A, 100W

Model 2200-30-5: 30V, 5A, 150W

Model 2200-32-3: 32V, 3A, 96W

Model 2200-60-2: 60V, 2.5A, 150W

Model 2200-72-1: 72V, 1.2A, 86W

High output accuracy

The voltage output accuracy of Series 2200 power supplies is specified at 0.03%; their current output accuracy is 0.05%. Both specifications are significantly better than those of competitive general-purpose supplies. In addition, their high output (1mV) and measurement (0.1mA) resolution makes them well-suited for characterizing low power circuits and devices in applications such as measuring idle mode and sleep mode currents to confirm devices can meet today's ever-more-challenging goals for energy efficiency. Remote sense terminals on the back panel and less than 5mVp-p noise help ensure that the voltage programmed is the voltage that the supply actually outputs. A dual-line display shows both the programmed values and actual outputs for a continuous indication of the status of the power delivered to the load.

Flexible operation

Series 2200 supplies include a variety of features designed to enhance operating versatility. For example, each model provides 40 onboard memory locations for storing frequently used test setups for later recall and reuse. In addition, a built-in list mode function supports the programming and storage of up to seven custom test sequences of up to 80 steps. Once saved, a sequence can be triggered to run manually using the instrument's front panel keys, automatically via an external trigger, or by using programmable interface commands. Competitive general-purpose power supplies don’t provide these capabilities.

Protection for the devices under test (DUTs)

Several Series 2200 features help protect DUTs from damage during testing, including a programmable voltage limit value that prevents the supply from outputting excessive voltage (even if a voltage higher than the limit is entered into the instrument) and a programmable over-voltage function that causes the output to drop to less than 1V if the over-voltage limit is reached. These limits are in addition to the current limit setting function, which controls the level of current that can flow into the DUT. Also, a programmable timer can be used to turn off the output after a specified time interval, so tests can be preprogrammed to run unattended without worrying about excess voltage or power being applied to the DUT for an extended period of time.

Superior ease of use

Multiple methods for adjusting the supplies' voltage and current settings are provided, including a direct-entry numeric keypad on the front panel. In addition, a rotary knob with adjustable step size simplifies studying the response of a device-under-test (DUT) to voltage or current changes.

Series 2200 power supplies can be controlled easily over either a standard GPIB or USB interface. The USB interface is test and measurement class (TMC) compliant, so users can employ the standard SCPI command syntax. Standard instrument drivers are included to simplify integrating the power supplies into an automated test environment.